


The Scientific Method

by hoenndawn (Dawn_Blossom)



Category: Pocket Monsters: Black 2 & White 2 | Pokemon Black 2 & White 2 Versions
Genre: (found family of people who were lost in the world), (she's also the champion but the movie star thing is more important here), Colress started up a new research firm and just hired all the ex-Team Plasma grunts, F/M, Ferris Wheels, Fluff, Getting Together, Movie Star Rosa, Pokestar film scenes as a framing device, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23181676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawn_Blossom/pseuds/hoenndawn
Summary: Sure, Colressseemsto enjoy her company. Something about him draws her to him, has been drawing her to him since the first time they met. Sometimes she thinks that Colress feels something similar… But if that were the case, why doesn’t he ever accept the invitations she sends him? Why do her visits always come as a surprise to him? Is her presence anything more than a burden on him and his research?
Relationships: Achroma | Colress/Mei | Rosa
Comments: 5
Kudos: 26





	The Scientific Method

**Author's Note:**

> *walks in 8 YEARS late with moonringshipping* Haha... Hope you all still like gen 5...
> 
> I actually wrote this about a month ago when I was feeling a little down to cheer myself up, but then for some reason I never got around to posting it??? But that's okay, maybe it's better I'm posting it now anyway. Something sweet in these trying times...

“Rosa, are you looking for someone?”

“Mm…” Rosa looks around. The man she’s waiting for never comes. But she always checks.

“Well, the movie’s about to start,” the director says. “If they haven’t arrived now, they’ll just have to wait with everyone else. We can’t wait any more.”

“Mm.” Rosa nods, stepping closer to the director. “I know he isn’t here. Let’s go.”

“Actors these days, I swear…” the director mutters under his breath.

Rosa smiles, but she can’t quite make it reach her eyes.

* * *

**_Timegate Traveler 3: Escape from Pokemon Planet_ **

_… I never would have thought that I would have been responsible for changing the fate of the human race…_

_… It still remains to be seen whether changing the future like I did was indeed a good thing, though…_

_… However, before I changed the future, Ledian looked down on all other life-forms and lived all alone…_

_… I hope that in the future that I brought about, Ledian will at least feel a little less lonely._

_That’s all that I can really do right now…_

* * *

Few people know of the abandoned Team Plasma laboratory on Route 17, and fewer still know that a ship has been docked there for several years now.

Rosa is a not-infrequent visitor.

“Rosa! You’re back!” a young woman with long brown curls exclaims, grinning. 

“Ana,” Rosa greets, nodding with a smile. The former Team Plasma grunt is so different from the girl that fought against her all those years ago, not just in appearance (for of course all the former members, freed from the requirement of conformity the organization imposed on them, have long abandoned the uniform) but in spirit. Nobody was happy under Ghetsis, though none of them ever said it. “How are things going with the research?”

“Well, we’ve hit a bit of a stumbling block with Colress Machine No. 752,” Ana says. “I hear we’re looking at modifying some technology from other regions to try to get around the issue, but, um, I haven’t really been involved because… I guess I never had a chance to tell you? I decided to go to university.”

“Oh!” Rosa blinks. “That’s great. Where?”

“Striaton,” Ana says. “Not as prestigious as Celadon, I know, but… it’s closer to home. I mean Colress said not to worry about it, and that I should just go wherever I liked, and that I didn’t need to go at all if I didn’t want to, but… I think I’ll be a lot more helpful here if I go study. I’ve learned a lot working here since I was a teenager, but so much of it still goes over my head.”

“Pretty much all of Colress’s work goes over my head,” Rosa admits. “Is he working now? I don’t want to bother him if he’s busy…”

‘But I did come all this way just to see him,’ goes unstated.

Ana laughs.

“Oh, you know how he is. He never stops working!” she says. “He’s in the frigate lab right now. But you can go down and see him. He’s always happy when you show up.”

Rosa wonders if that’s really true. Sure, Colress _seems_ to enjoy her company. Something about him draws her to him, has been drawing her to him since the first time they met. Sometimes she thinks that Colress feels something similar… But if that were the case, why doesn’t he ever accept the invitations she sends him? Why do her visits always come as a surprise to him? Is her presence anything more than a burden on him and his research?

Despite her worries, she still can’t keep the smile off her face when she opens the door and her eyes fall upon him.

Colress is staring intently at his computer, his eyes locked on an output of numbers and letters that Rosa can’t make any sense of. Yet for all his focus, he still whirls around immediately at Rosa’s entry.

“It’s you…” he says, and his startled expression softens at once. “It’s been a while since you’ve been here to challenge me… I suppose those films of yours keep you plenty busy… and your pokemon entertained as well. Do pokemon naturally take to the screen, or is it another instance of the bonds between you drawing out their inner talent? No one has ever studied the phenomenon.”

“I didn’t know you were interested in the subject,” Rosa says. “If you’re that curious, you should start attending my premieres. I’m sure I could introduce you to some people who’d be happy to talk with you about it…”

If she were not so skillful an actress, she would never have been able to get the offer out so casually. Is it so wrong that she wants Colress to come? If he won’t do it for her, it could be for science. It could be for any reason, so long as it got him there…

“Ah…” Colress looks down. The fluorescent lights reflect off his glasses, obscuring his eyes. “I haven’t been so lucky in that regard…”

“Lucky?” Rosa echoes. What does luck have to do with it? She always sends him tickets personally!

“When you send only one ticket, everyone fights over who gets to go,” Colress explains. “The only fair way to decide is to hold a randomized drawing. My number has never come up.”

“You… raffle off the tickets?” Rosa asks incredulously. Where on earth had he gotten the idea that she was extending an invitation to the entirety of his organization? 

“I could think of no better alternative,” Colress says. 

“Colress, I…” Rosa bites her lip, torn between screaming and laughing. “I meant for you to have them. You, personally. You don’t have to share. Unless you’re too busy to come yourself, of course…”

Colress stares at her. It is the same intense scrutiny he has given her every time she has defeated him in battle. Like she has successfully performed, but he needs a moment to confirm the results he’s seeing.

Colress shakes his head

“How could I possibly refuse the opportunity? Rosa, what I want…” He breaks off suddenly. “No, I’m afraid I haven’t tested my hypothesis enough to state anything with confidence. I’ll have to ask you to be patient with me.”

“Well, who am I to criticize the scientific method?” Rosa asks. Standing over Colress’s shoulder and yelling at him would never do any good; he always takes his time and comes to his own conclusions. His goal has always been to draw out the inner strength of pokemon with kindness, even if it was a slow process, even when it ran counter to everything Ghetsis demanded of him back when he worked for Team Plasma… For all that Colress used to talk of doing whatever it took to bring out a pokemon’s power, it was always obvious to Rosa that he wanted _her_ to prove his favored theory right. 

“Thank you,” Colress says. “When I find the answers I’m looking for, I’ll let you know.”

“You haven’t told me what your hypothesis is yet, though,” Rosa says. “Anything I can help with?”

She smiles, running a finger against the pokeballs on her belt. She knows that Colress favors a practical approach.

“A demonstration of the bonds between us and our pokemon?” Colress smiles the way all trainers who love the thrill of battle do. “Yes… This time I will discover the truth!”

* * *

**_Love and Battles: Miguel’s Story_ **

_… If eyes meet, a Pokemon battle bursts into bloom._

_If eyes meet, sometimes love will blossom as well._

_For young trainers, Pokemon battles are not simple competitions. They are also a way to meet others…_

_This is how love blossoms and fades between Trainers each day…”_

* * *

Rosa had sent two tickets this time. Sure as she was that her intention was clear this time, it is still a relief when she spots Colress with her own eyes.

Alonso, her co-lead, smirks at her.

“That’s your guy, isn’t it,” he says. “I can tell because he looks exactly as nerdy as you’ve described. And you’ve only described him, what, ten thousand times?”

“Shut up,” Rosa hisses beneath her breath. “He’s not _my_ anything. Also, he’s a genius, so show him some respect.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he’s not all that smart,” Alonso says, shrugging dismissively. “But whatever, I know you aren’t that concerned about what _I’m_ thinking right now. I need to go catch up with Alyssa anyway. See you around, Rosa.”

With her co-star gone, there’s nothing between her and…

“Oh… Hello,” Colress greets, and she realizes that she has practically walked right into him.

“Colress…” Rosa says. “I’m glad you were able to make it. I never really know what you’re up to unless I come over…”

“Calls can’t come through to the frigate,” Colress says. “Hm… Can I see your Xtranceiver?”

“Sure. Are you going to give me your number?” Rosa’s heart skips a beat. It won’t do any good if Colress is out of range anyway, and that is the primary reason that Rosa hasn’t asked him to give it to her before now.

Colress presses some buttons, pulls up a screen full of code Rosa doesn’t understand, and begins to type rapidly.

“I’d like you to be able to contact me freely,” Colress says. “I believe these modifications should work for you. Truth be told, I haven’t had to do this in a long time. There aren’t many people I feel the need to pick up for.”

“Oh…” Rosa wonders if he has created any exceptions since dissolving Team Plasma. That was the last time he was subordinate to anyone, after all. These days, the former Team Plasma members who followed him into his research all view him as their sole leader and likely wouldn’t question his decision to keep the island they inhabit unreachable by electronic communication. “You know it’s not like you _have_ to pick up for me, right? If I’m getting on your nerves, you don’t have to keep entertaining me.”

“No… I’ve never thought of it like that,” Colress says. “When I say that I feel the need to pick up for you, what I mean is… It’s hard to comprehend. There are too many unknown factors still at play. Please, wait a little longer while I continue my investigation.”

He hands the Xtranceiver back to her. Now his name appears in her contacts list, right between “Cheren” and “Curtis.” 

“Now it will be easy to call me when you find what you’re looking for,” Rosa says. “And in the meantime, maybe I can continue to assist you in your research. One of the reasons trainers call each other is to set up battles, you know.”

“So this form of communication can strengthen the connections between trainers… Does this have a positive effect on pokemon as well?” Colress presses a hand thoughtfully to his lips. “Rosa! I’m counting on you to figure this out with me!”

Rosa giggles. He’s always so earnest.

* * *

**_Mystery Doors of the Magical Land 3: Open a Door_ **

_Princess Rina: “Bellelba! I mean, Ms. Bellelba!”_

_Bellelba: “… ?!”_

_Princess Rina: “I… While we were fighting, I grew to love you!”_

_Plush Toy: “What?!”_

_Bellelba: “What? Huh? Ah?”_

_Princess Rina: “Bellelba! I want to live here forever! No! I want to be with you! Please don’t deny my feelings! Bellelba! I love you!”_

* * *

“For what it’s worth, I agree with your changes to the script,” Sabrina saya. “The original ending had no intrigue. But I’m sure you can understand the controversy. A 108-year-old woman and… how old was your character, again?”

Rosa shrugs.

“It never said. You know how it is. I’m 20, so they’ll have me play anyone from 14 to 40.”

Sabrina snorts.

“And besides,” Rosa continues cheerfully. “Stu Deeoh likes me. Just watch; we’ll get this movie in theaters by the end of the year.”

“Mm… I have foreseen this picture’s success,” Sabrina says. “Though… Perhaps it is more accurate to say that I have foreseen _your_ success.”

“Really?” Rosa blinks. “Huh… Now that you’ve said it, I’m curious. But… Maybe it’s better if I don’t know what you’ve seen…”

“That may be wise. Psychic power isn’t infallible…” Sabrina says. “But psychic power isn’t all that rare, either. It is the power to influence people. Everyone has it. People just don’t realize it… The ability to love, I think, is some kind of psychic ability…”

“L-Love?” Rosa can’t help but flush. “If that’s really true, I think a lot of people don’t realize it. Sabrina, just how are people supposed to control psychic power?”

“It’s simple… but difficult,” Sabrina says. “It’s all about controlling your own mind.”

“But with love, there are two people involved,” Rosa says. “That makes it twice as hard!”

“Maybe it does,” Sabrina agrees. “… That scientist you always think about… He has a million things going on in his head. They keep him from seeing the things he already knows.”

“Colress has his own process for working things out,” Rosa says. “Science is his method of control.”

“Everyone puts our disciplines at odds,” Sabrina says. “But I think scientists and psychics are all after the same thing, in the end.”

* * *

**_Love and Battles 3: Antonio’s Story_ **

_Smeargle: “Oh, so close! We didn’t wrap it up! Well, we’ll continue in your dream again tomorrow.”_

_Nanci: “My dream?”_

_Smeargle: “That’s right! You’re dreaming! This is all happening in a dream! For starters, you and Antonio live together happily in real life! Oh! You look like you’re about to oversleep, so Antonio’s coming to wake you!”_

_…_

_Voice: “Nanci! It’s morning! Come on! Time to get up! Hurry up, or you’ll be late!”_

_…_

_Nanci: “Huh? What?”_

_When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by Antonio’s smiling face… But when I fall asleep, I always return to that amusement park. A silent Antonio is there with Smeargle, and a Pokemon battle starts. Then when I wake up, a healthy Antonio is there… The same things keep happening over and over…_

_Which is real?_

_Are they both dreams? Are they both real? Well, I guess it doesn’t matter…_

_For me, if Antonio is by my side… I’m happy if only that is true…_

* * *

Rosa isn’t sure what possessed her to call Colress. It might have been an accident. His name is right where Curtis’s used to be… 

She knows that isn’t it, though.

“Ah… Rosa?” Colress’s face appears on the screen of her Xtransceiver. 

“Colress! Hi!” Rosa smiles quickly. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything! I have a few days off from shooting, so I… Um, I thought I’d see how you were doing?”

“I…” Colress blinks. “I’m fine. Where is that you’re filming this time?”

“Huh? Oh, Nimbasa City,” Rosa says. “At least for this part that takes place in an amusement park.”

“… The third Love and Battles movie,” Colress says.

“That’s right!” Rosa beams. “Do you follow the series? They’re usually a bunch of silly romcoms, but this one… Um, actually, can you forget I said that? I’m not supposed to give anything away about the plot.”

“I will treat the information as confidential,” Colress assures her. “… What do you normally do when you’re not filming?”

“Well, I guess it depends on where I am. I see the sights, you know?” Rosa says. “Since I’m the Champion and all, I might stop by and see if Elesa wants to have a rematch with me. Otherwise, I don’t really have any specific plans.”

“In that case…” Colress says. “Why don’t I come and meet you. I have been to Nimbasa before on business, but… I have never had the chance to ‘see the sights,’ as you say.”

“I can show you!” Rosa says excitedly. “I think you’ll love it! The people here all know how to make their pokemon’s talents really shine!”

Colress smiles at her. Speaking of shining, does he _know_ his eyes sparkle when he’s pleased?

Looking at him on a screen has nothing on looking at him in person, though. Colress gets to Nimbasa surprisingly quickly, and it’s early the next morning that she goes to meet him.

“I didn’t know you had a skarmory,” she says upon seeing the large bird sitting proudly beside him. 

“I mostly rely on her for travelling, so I bring her out infrequently” Colress admits. “I do not believe resting in PC boxes for long periods is good for pokemon, however. I am looking into alternatives, but my research is still in the preliminary stages.”

The skarmory lets out a cry, stretching her wings and bumping into Rosa.

“Since she’s here today, you should let her battle,” Rosa says, giving the pokemon a pat.

“Skar,” the skarmory agrees.

Rosa laughs.

“You know, if you want to go to the amusement park with me, there’s a tradition,” she says. “Before getting on the ferris wheel, trainers battle each other. Whoever wins pays the fare.”

“Out of the prize money the loser pays them, I take it,” Colress says knowingly.

“That’s the idea!” Rosa says.

“Very well,” Colress says. “If that’s the tradition, I would hate to be the one to break it. But what happens if a single trainer wants to board the ride?”

“Oh…” Rosa blushes. “Well, it’s a two-person ride. They won’t let you on if you’re alone.”

“I see…” Colress says. “Rosa… Please battle my skarmory. This is the only way I know of to collect more data…”

“Always happy to help,” Rosa says.

She sends out her serperior at a disadvantage just to make sure that Colress’s skarmory really has a chance to stretch her wings. Like usual, Rosa ultimately comes out victorious. Sometimes she wonders if her battle prowess cuts against her in her attempts to capture Colress’s heart. Few people are happy losing _every_ battle against their partner…

But the fact is, Colress is utterly _delighted_ every time he loses to her. Today is no exception.

“Each time we battle together, the path forward becomes clearer,” Colress says. “Yes, I feel like I know what I should do now… But first—” He extends his hand, several coins resting in his palm. “Shall we board the ferris wheel?”

“Of course.” Rosa takes his hand rather than his money.

Grinning, she pulls him towards the ride, and only then does she release him, taking the money into her own hands just long enough to pass it to the ferris wheel’s operator.

The pokeball-styled pods don’t leave them much room for personal space, not that Rosa minds. The morning light shines brightly and illuminates the cityscape, creating a beautiful view around them. 

Rosa’s attention isn’t really focused on the scenery, though.

“Ah… For years, I’ve been studying how pokemon become stronger… The more data I observe, the more confident I am in my conclusion… It is the bonds between trainers and their pokemon that bring out pokemon’s true power,” Colress says. “But these bonds… There is nothing singularly unique about them. The trust between humans and pokemon… The trust between two people… They are the same in their essence. And that is what led me to my new hypothesis.”

“What’s that?” Rosa asks.

“That the bonds between people can bring out their inner strength as well,” Colress says. “I have been monitoring my own feelings. Rosa… I believe there is a powerful force between us. When I’m with you, I am unusually filled with energy. Do you feel it, too?”

“I think I do,” Rosa says with a smile. “But just to make sure, let me try a little experiment of my own.”

Surging forward, she presses a kiss to his lips. It’s short and sweet, and it leaves her feeling so happy she could burst.

“So, the results are…?” The tips of Colress’s ears have reddened.

“Yep, this really proves it,” Rosa says, giggling. “I’m totally in love with you, Colress!”

Colress’s eyes light up.

“How wonderful!” he exclaims. “This feeling… Love… I believe it will continue to make us both stronger!”

“I think so, too,” Rosa agrees, feeling warm.


End file.
